The Only Protectus

by Ophelias Diary

The feud between the Basilica and Snape line continues, will Siana and Severus find their precarious relationship strengthened during the war?

9. Chapter 9

Spoilers: PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, FB, QTTA.. Written between Goblet of Fire and Order of Phoenix.
Genre: Action, Angst
Era: Multiple Eras
Main Character(s): None
Ship(s): None
Summary: Siana Basilica has found the first of many answers, and Severus Snape has returned from his encounter with Voldemort. When Siana finds herself back at Hogwarts to continue looking for answers about her strange abilities, and her even stranger wand, she encounters a Snape entirely different to the one she knew before. The Death Eaters and Voldemort are hunting her, and she herself is experiencing unusual symptoms to the one thing that could possibly help her.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Sickness and Svelte

Siana, you're bleeding.

Snape groaned in the back of his throat, his arms flung out over the coverlet and he snorted into his silken black pillow. You idiot, what were you thinking? The dead weight curved into the crook of his knee shifted and made a strange chirping noise. It was sleepy. Then the distinct sound of a yawn sounded, high pitched, the dead weight shifted and started trotting up towards Severus' face. He expected licks, he expected strange noises, and when he got none of it, his black eyes were forced to open.

Svelte's tawny eyes were staring at his, her front paws digging into the blankets. Her nose glinted with moisture, she was healthy again. For a moment Severus found himself feeling something at that, the fact that he had helped, had contributed towards her being healthy. His efforts, no one elses, his efforts had made her willing to be a fox again, not a quivering wreck. He half smiled at her and reached out a tired and stiff hand. He ruffled the back of her neck.

His mind however, first thing in the morning, was a death trap. His hand stilled in the soft brilliant fur, fingers running along a raised scar which he could not remove, and the guilt set in. You did it, you caused this. How does it feel Severus? And why does it make you feel this way? You've killed many people in the past, without a second thought.

He withdrew his hand, Svelte snapped at him, as though angry he was daring to remove his attentions. Reluctantly he let it sit gently back on her spine. He was awake now, his thoughts racing.

No. The people you've killed in the past, you didn't have to see again, and again, and again. You just did what he wanted, and left. Of course. Because you lull yourself into a false sense of security, thinking you have power, only to see Voldemort again and realise that you're not only the pawn of Dumbledore, you're the pawn of the Dark Lord. And now...

His shaken exhale was audible, it bounced off the dungeon walls, made of their forbidding stone. It rebounded back to his ears and he almost recoiled from the sound of it. Svelte snuggled deeper into his fingers, reminding him, constantly reminding him.

I feel this way, because I couldn't just run home again. It doesn't matter which way I turn, I still manage to be a coward. Of course it hurts now. His eyebrows knotted in confusion, he wasn't used to this, not to thinking like this at any rate. His thoughts drifted over finding Siana again, and the fact was for a moment he had been concerned.

'Stupid fox.' The words were muffled against pressure of his arm, which was in an awkward position stretched out to Svelte like it was. He knew, that if he hadn't spent so much time with the fox, if he hadn't been carrying her home again back to his quarters, if he hadn't been lost in the feeling of her fur against his sensitive hands, he wouldn't have given a shit about the fact that Siana had been bleeding. That was a fact. He was acting like, like he used to act when he was younger. When he still had Coal, his familiar, and Lydia.

And now you're showing concern to the one person who ripped your life apart.

His eyes squeezed shut. Pain roiled through him. He had never really dealt with the grief of losing Lydia. He had thrown himself into dark deeds which did not permit grief. He had always wondered what would happen if he succumbed to it, but the reality was that he didn't think he ever would. His sadness was so overwhelming, so full of darkness now, he doubted that he would ever emerge sane. He was walking a thin line as it was, between madness, darkness, and sanity.

He was so busy thinking about his grief that he didn't even notice the pain in his feet, crawling up his nerves. The pain crawled slowly up, a whisper of hurt, and when it reached his lower spine he stiffened with surprise. He knew what it was, an attack, but they didn't normally start this slowly. He withdrew his hand from Svelte as the murmurings pain continued their slow way up his spine. His last thought was that he needed to start working on the antidote, when without warning the twinges of pain intensified quickly, and then suddenly exploded in several places at once. His back, his neck, his whole spinal cord seemed aflame.

He hit convulsions straight away, horrible, wrenching seizures that stole away his thoughts, his control. The agony was a creature, it seemed to rip through his very soul. It hadn't started as bad as the Cruciatus curse, and now paralleled its force. He could not think enough, but to wish for death, and he was feeling too much, his nerves were hypersensitive. As his hand scraped across the soft quilt he roared in pain, feeling as though rusted blades were being dragged across his skin.

There was noise, a lot of noise. He couldn't tell if it was coming from himself or not. The horrible screams seemed to echo off the walls and bounce back at him relentlessly so that he when he was able to actually use his mind, he found it paralysed with fear. His voice then broke, screamed hoarse, and he was pressing air out of his lungs, wishing for death, wishing for it to all end, wishing that it would just stop.

With a sudden onset of blackness, it did.

Then...

He felt rain, rain all over his face. It was stroking and insistent rain. Lukewarm. The lukewarm rain actually felt a lot like...

'Svelte,' he said, though his voice came out as a strained and broken moan. He rolled away from her questing tongue and cried out as he felt himself free-falling. He connected to the ground with a thud that seemed to roar along his nerves. Severus grit his teeth at the pain, trying to ignore it. There was a light thud next to him, and then the tongue again, licking insistently at the oil on his nose. There was something very urgent and concerned about the pressure. He opened his eyes, and was suddenly aware that they were watering. Damn.

'I'm alright,' he whispered, his voice broke twice and he winced at the sound of it. I don't sound alright. His arm moved very stiffly, it felt broken, he had to look as he extended it to make sure that it wasn't. No. It just feels broken, because that's what agony does, it breaks you. Fool. His hand curried her fur backwards and she stopped licking him, she flopped down beside him, her sinuous form flexing.

'Oh you just want attention. Conniving thing. Smart,' he said softly and then bit back a dry sob as he fought into a sitting position. He picked her up and deposited her in his lap, continuing to stroke her with his left hand, as his right went up to his face and rubbed. He could feel dried saliva and cringed. He rubbed at it some more and decided that he must have been unconscious for some time. The only knowledge that calmed him, was the fact that he didn't have classes.

He let his nerves soothe themselves slowly, and absorbed himself stroking the contours of Svelte's body.

A Basilica did this to you, a Basilica killed your sister. He frowned. Frederick is clearly capable of doing both, he's a Death Eater at heart, but Siana...unless she's very very good at hiding her evil nature, could not possibly be as bad as Frederick, surely. Why was she bleeding last night? I never found out.

How dare she treat me like that? Does she have no respect? Of course she doesn't, the first thing that she has to learn is that she cannot get away with that kind of behaviour.

However, stroking a na�ve fox made it very difficult for him to hone his well of hatred, and he couldn't think of revenge for too long. He lost himself in the tactile sensation, the contented sighs of Svelte, and the easing pain in his own limbs. He knew that if he didn't find a solution, an antidote, he would die, it was getting worse, and contrary to what most thought, pain of that calibre could kill him. It could quite easily wipe his nerves clean, leaving him as dead to the world as he could possibly be. He needed to work out what Frederick had put into that potion to make its effects worsen over time, and he had to work it out sooner rather than later.

And a meeting with the Death Eaters...Frederick will get to bask in the glory of his potion making skills. Well, I have some news for you Mr. Basilica, making more of an enemy out of me than I already am, is the most dangerous thing you have ever done.

I'm so goddamned hungry. By Artemis what possessed me to skip breakfast? Oh that's right, I was so fucking nauseated because of last night. How smart. How smart to get yourself caught like that. Oh shut up stomach, bloody mutiny, you only want me to eat so you can throw it all up again, want to practise your heaving skills do you? Her hand touched her stomach and she scowled at nothing particular as she stalked towards Dumbledore's office for her report. Yeah, you grumble at me, I can grumble back. Trust me. I can so grumble back.

She hadn't slept all night, not a wink, she couldn't even doze. She had stayed seated at her desk, literally feeling her muscles stiffen, the cut on her face start to infect, the wire had been rusty after all. She could feel her legs start to ache with fatigue. It had been an interesting process. Siana had also ruminated over her pleasant interlude with Lucius, her not so pleasant interlude with Draco, and what could not really be called an interlude at all with Snape.

She smiled. And I told him to fuck off. Well he deserved it! He damn well deserved it. I'm not putting up with that anymore, I don't have to. I'm actually helping now, I'm actually making a difference. I mean...that is...if I can get those ingredients. One down, two to go.

She frowned. Her mood abruptly changed. I don't know though, I mean...well. Siana swallowed and shook her head to try and clear away the cobwebs lack of sleep had given her. She had been exhausted before she had travelled to the Malfoy Estate, Artemis only knew what she was now. She mumbled a password to the forbidding gargoyle and meandered her way inside. He had said that she could let herself in after all.

Dumbledore, sitting in his office poring over parchments and parchments of Ministry paperwork, only looked up when she cleared her throat. He smiled at her genially, blue eyes twinkling, and then gestured for her to sit down. She wondered how on Earth he could manage to be so cheerful when he suddenly said;

'It's not a smile, it's a grimace, Miss Basilica. If the Ministry would only do me the courtesy of working their own problems out,' he muttered, she realised then that his eyes were twinkling not from good natured cheer, but from being disgruntled. Siana looked over at the official stamps and letterheads, and the writing which was now covered with Dumbledore's loopy scrawl. He was either editing or contributing comments.

'I thought that the Ministry didn't have much to do with you. You're not exactly the kind of conservative they look for are you?' She leaned over his desk, looking at his papers and then after a second looked up, realising she was only a foot away from his head. He was looking at her and smiling, not a grimace this time, but a smile. She was so close to his face that she could smell his breath, which was clean and refreshing. Awkwardly she drew back. 'Sorry,' she added. He shook his head and waved a hand at the parchment dismissingly. They vanished.

Now see, if I tried that, I'd probably kill myself.

'Well I'm going to tell you that last night was a veritable hit,' Siana launched in. She looked over at Fawkes as he drew attention by fluttering his bright golden wings. She noticed then the two feathers that she had left behind for him. Her heart twinged but she felt happier then somehow, less tired. Fawkes was looking at her as if to say, see? I care too.

'After deciding that I wasn't a Kneazle, testing to see if I was an Animagus and finding out that I wasn't, and finding out that I can actually aid him when he's doing magic, he's decided that he wants to take me to the next meeting. Good huh? So when's the meeting?'

'This evening.'

'Oh,' Siana said softly, this time withdrawing into her chair completely. Her eyes widened. 'How fast are they moving? I only went to see Lucius yesterday,' she whispered and Dumbledore shook his head gravely. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, and took of his glasses and started polishing them with the sleeve of his robe instead.

'How much do you think Frederick has to do with this?' Siana's soft voice was clearly nervous, her hands started to wring at each other without realising that she was doing it. The fact was, the idea of seeing Frederick again terrified her, he was much better at tormenting her than her father had ever been. He made Snape's torments seem petty and paltry. Frederick was a class A torturer by anyone's standards.

'Since Frederick deviated away from the Archives towards the Death Eaters, there has been a definite increase in their movements. The question is, did he join them after the Archives had been destroyed? Or was he a member beforehand?'

'He would have been a member beforehand,' Siana said bitterly. It made sense now, though he never openly declared allegiance to Voldemort, he did openly express disgust with the Ministry, with Dumbledore, with anything that was even partially connected to the downfall of the Dark Lord. There was also the fact that he never showed either of his forearms, for as long as she could remember, it was frightening to think that he had borne the mark of Voldemort for such a long time.

'Why do the Snapes and Basilicans hate each other so much?' Siana said suddenly, distracted, and Dumbledore's eyes narrowed.

'I don't know if I should be the one to tell you that Siana.'

'Well I don't know who else is going to tell me. It's not like I can ask my family. They are dead,' she said acidly and blanched. What am I turning into? I've been such a bitch the past few days...it's not like I'm stressed or anything. Ha. Ha. Very funny Siana. Dumbledore was sighing, replacing his glasses.

'I don't know all the details myself.'

'Well I mean, is there much more? Aside from the fact that Snape made my Mum miscarry, and the fact that I slaughtered his sister?'

'You didn't do that Siana, you weren't responsible for that,' he said softly. Siana grimaced, she withdrew her wand and placed it on the table in front of her.

'Even when I am in full command of my senses, I'm a murderer, or very nearly was.' She was referring to almost killing Severus, and she knew that Dumbledore knew that too. 'It doesn't matter if I have a cure, it doesn't matter if I am cured Dumbledore. I have to take a potion to stop me from killing people. It's artificial, I am artificially no longer a homicidal maniac,' she continued. Her mind drifted back to how she had felt at the tender mercies of Lucius Malfoy, and then how she had felt when her own power had added to the power of his own Cruciatus curse.

'If anything, a potion started it all in the first place Siana. You didn't kill Lydia Snape, you didn't kill Severus Snape, and you, I'm fairly sure, haven't killed anyone since.'

'But I could.' Her voice seemed very small amongst the homey warmth of Dumbledore's office.

'Where has this come from? Has Severus been saying anything to you?'

Has he been saying anything to me? Well that's not exactly the way to put it. He's been threatening me, and treating me like shit, and I've been doing the same to him when I can get enough energy together to do so. You know what? It's so funny, so goddamned funny that I miss the nice Severus, when perhaps the nice Severus wasn't real at all. I miss the way he actually cared, the way he wanted to know about my nightmare, the way he...

'Time, Siana, that's all you need, and all we have,' he said softly and Siana felt her limbs go cold.

How easily you say that. Time's running out for me. I need to make that Insidious Potion and soon.

'So, the meeting is tonight. What do I do?'

'I'll Apparate you back to the Estate. It will just be a matter of showing yourself again and seeing whether or not Lucius will take you. He most likely will, there have been reports in the past of him showing up with animals. It's his downfall as a Death Eater actually, he never used to test them first. He once bought a Kneazle to a meeting.' Dumbledore smiled then and took a bag of humbugs out of his desk drawer. He offered her one, and when she declined, popped on of the black and white candies into his mouth.

'How did you get the cut on your forehead?' he asked around his lolly and Siana winced, raised a tentative finger up to it. She hoped it wasn't really all that noticeable. The cut on her leg was much worse, it had been a deep wound. The back of her neck was covered with black bruises from the punishing grip of Draco Malfoy, and it was a comfort that her hair was long enough to cover them. It hurt to turn her head, it hurt to do a lot of things.

'Trying to get into the castleh' Siana lied. 'I had to push up a window, and it wasn't easy as a cat. It sort of, fell on my head on the way in.'

Dumbledore nodded, but his gaze did not leave hers. It was penetrating and all seeing, and Siana felt as though he was making himself comfortable in her soul. She didn't like the sensation, Frederick had been able to make her feel that way almost constantly, and she was enjoying avoiding that sort of scrutiny.

'Well, forgive me for saying so, but it looks nasty, perhaps you should avoid that window from now on,' he said and Siana licked her lips.

'Trust me when I say I will be avoiding that window from now on.' Forever if I can. I never want to have anything to do with Draco Malfoy again.

Dumbledore smiled at her, placed the bag of candies back into his desk drawer and then stared down at the parchments, his eyebrows rising into his forehead of silver hair. His shoulders seemed to fall, a silent sigh. 'If it's any consolation Siana,' he said suddenly, looking up. 'What you're doing for us is invaluable. The position you're putting yourself in. I know, I realise that it has its risks, and I am fully aware of the dangers that you place yourself in, every time you visit Lucius, but also know Siana, that no one else can do what you're doing. If you're information can help us, then it can well be the information to rid us of the Voldemort.'

'Way to go...a pep talk!' Siana said and then she swallowed. 'Look. I don't care what happens to me. I mean, well. I do. But I just want to, I don't want to be useless. And I did Transfiguration, you know, worked at it so hard, hoping that what I learnt could not only better the stuffy old Transfiguration followers, but also, people in general. And it's nice to know, that I have something to do with that now, Dumbledore. Really, really. It is. And on that note, I'm going to leave you to it. Because I'm tired, and I didn't sleep very well last night.'

'I'll come down to your rooms to Apparate you out later this evening,' Dumbledore said softly, a kind light in his eyes. Siana nodded as she stood and then grinned as she pushed the chair in.

'Herbology sucks!'

'Yeah but at least Kevin is in the class. You think he's cute! Admit it!'

'Yeah I suppose so. But honestly, all those plants and...I mean, they're plants Kelly, plants!'

Siana froze, the breath left her throat and she stared wide eyed at the two giggling girls that had just walked past her. She licked her lips and then stared at the entrance of the Great Hall, an idea was budding, another one. Without another thought to the dungeons she started walking briskly to the doors, to the greenhouses in fact.

Her feet carried her over the grass which today, was bending in a gentle but crisp breeze. Siana shivered and drew her robes tighter around her and then tried to remember the name of the Herbology professor. Sprout? Yeah. Good, first name? Um, seed...of some kind. Not like wheat or, no that's a grain. Hang on. Poppy! Poppy Sprout? Gees, no wonder she does Herbology. She smiled to herself. Gotta love those names which are just, so appropriate. What is it about wizards and traditional names? I can talk. Basilica. At least Sprout isn't a derivative of a poisonous, horrible, violent and ultimately Slytherin beast.

After knocking on the door she waited patiently, Professor Sprout opened the door. Siana remembered her vaguely from the few times that she had eaten in the Great Hall. Her flyaway hair and twig covered hat seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary on this woman. She was wearing dragon hide gloves, and there seemed to be no other noise inside the greenhouse. Good, then she isn't teaching anyone at the moment. That's good.

She stood there in silence for a little while, and then thinned her lips. 'I'm, I'm Siana Basilica.'

'I know,' Professor Sprout said, as she moved away from the door and made room for Siana to walk inside. Siana did so, following Professor Sprout to a desk covered with pots and bags of seeds.

'And I was...' She trailed off, I was what? You idiot. Professor Sprout was looking at her questioningly and Siana decided that if she didn't launch into the situation now, she'd never launch into the situation.

'Professor Sprout, um, can I please have a look in your greenhouses? Could you please um, give me a tour?' Well that sounded crap.

'Whatever for child?'

'I'm just...curious, I, oh, this is ridiculous. Here's the deal. I am desperately trying to hunt down a small amount of New Zealand Mandragora for a potion to counter the effects of a pouson. All the vendors, like Zirs, are out of stock...and I am. Very. Desperate.'

Poppy Sprout looked at Siana calculatingly. Her earth brown eyes raked away at what she'd said. Siana realised that this Head of House was much smarter than she let on. Not just some old witch pottering around in her garden then.

'New Zealand Mandragora? I've never heard of it being used as an antidote before, but then again I don't know all that much about potions making.' She turned to glare at a plant that had been inching towards her, with leaves the colour of a sea green lake. The plant, eyeless, somehow sensed the murderous gaze and it slid to a stop, crinkling unhappily. When Professor Sprout turned back to Siana, her expression was grim.

'Now...I want to help you. But I also know that New Zealand Mandragora makes a very rare potion made by your family. I know that, because they foolishly tried to raid my greenhouses several years ago. You have a shady past child.'

Siana opened her mouth to plead her case when Professor Sprout smiled tentatively. 'But you're here, helping Albus, and that speaks a great deal for loyalty. You came back, after leaving once, and you didn't have to. You were in a prime position to go back to You Know Who, and you didn't. Not only that, but Albus tells me that you're a genuine child.' Siana bit her lip.

'Even if I would make any poison with it, which I'm not, I don't require enough for full effect. I honestly, well, I'll even sign a contract if you want me to. I'll do anything at all. Please?'

'Stop begging! I'll send you onto Neville in Greenhouse Five. He's in charge of all the plants there, and he'll be able to harvest the amount you want.'

'Why are you trusting me?' Siana said, for she hadn't really expected that candour would work. She was trusting her instincts, throwing caution to the wind. She was fully aware that Professor Sprout was in a position to inadvertently destroy anything, but Siana also knew that she wasn't doing anything evil. Maybe that's conveying through what I'm saying. She shifted uncomfortably, her leg still burned with pain from the wire that had cut into her skin. Blessedly she had been able to comb part of her fringe down to obscure the jagged cut.

'Siana, if you wanted that herb for the wrong reasons, then you would have either stolen it, or at the very least pretended that you just wanted to look around. You've been truthful to me, I can tell. I can see you're not scatterbrained, or evil. And...' Professor Sprout blinked and then suddenly clapped Siana heartily on the back. 'Why shouldn't I trust you? Now, get off to greenhouse five? Go on! Before I get jaws here onto you.' Siana started when she saw the crinkly sea green plant that had been advancing on Professor Sprout before, reveal a row of white teeth. She shuddered and then for some reason found herself grasping Sprout's soil covered hand.

'You will never regret this. I promise you,' she said, and left, before Sprout could reply.

'That was weird,' she muttered to herself as she marched rapidly over to Neville's greenhouse, and knocked sharply on the door. After the fourth knock, the panelled door open and steam billowed out. The humidity in here was ten times as intense as in the other greenhouse. It was practically raining. Siana looked down to see a clumsy looking boy, with his hair plastered wetly to his head. There was a sheen of the misty humidity over his face, and a splash of dirt on his left cheek.

'You're Neville?'

Immediately the boy looked around a little, nervous. His hand twitched uncertainly and then he nodded.

'You're...You're a Basilica,' he said, his voice quite highly pitched. Siana's eyes narrowed, he hadn't yet invited her inside the greenhouse. She licked her lips, tasted loam in the air, and kept her mouth closed. 'I'm...well. Yes. Siana. Sprout sent me,' she said and the boy ushered her inside nervously, closing the door behind her. Panels rattled.

'I'm...I'm a Longbottom,' he said and Siana's breath exhaled in a hitch. Oh shit. The Basilicans hated most that came there way, especially Dumbledores, especially Snapes, especially Longbottoms.

'Well I'd like to think that I'm not like the rest of my family,' Siana said, wondering if that were true. 'I'm just little old me, and Professor Sprout seemed to think I was okay. She seems like a grounded person. Um, you don't have to, you don't have to help me if you don't want. I'll understand Neville. You could...what the...argh!' She shrieked as a bush of something leapt at her.

There was a flurry of movement, she vaguely caught sight of a metal pole, heard some shouting, saw the plant get flung away by the prongs of a rake and then held against the ground obviously against its will. Siana, who had reeled backwards against a heavy table gasped, let her vision clear. She saw immediately that it was the snarling New Zealand Mandragora. Alive, it's eyes were bright, and glittered, its teeth were bared, it looked angry, nasty.

'I can tell...' she gasped. 'That it's happy to see me.'

'You've taken it before,' Neville said as he stared down at the plant with wide eyes. 'It doesn't go for people like that. Normally it just looks mean, it's not really. Not really...'

'Yeah. Yeah. Long story. Holy Athena, I thought only sharks and wolves went for the jugular like that.' She rubbed her throat awkwardly, though she had not been injured, and winced as the skin she pushed around caused the back of her neck to ache. 'Gees, now I feel bad saying that I want some of it. I'll probably have nightmares of families of the stuff coming to hunt me down.'

'Maybe, maybe you should just never visit New Zealand.' Neville laughed, still a little jumpy. To Siana's great surprised he deftly lifted the rake and caught the plant, which stilled as soon as he held it. He examined it thoughtfully and then frowned. 'They say, I heard Harry say that you're nice. But I didn't know, whether or not it was true.'

'Oh it's a lie. I'm not really nice. I'm just not an evil person in general. I can be bitchy. Don't get me wrong. You must be pretty damned good at Herbology to have a whole greenhouse to yourself.'

Neville flushed, then he cleared his throat.

'I'd like to be good at, at something.'

'You mean you're not good at anything else?' Siana said, raising an eyebrow, Neville nodded. Siana grinned.

'Well finally! Join the club Neville. You and me can start our own new family. The only thing, and I mean the only thing I'm good at, is Transfiguration. I botched History of Magic, got bitten by baby animals in Care of Magical Creatures, and I used to melt cauldrons on a regular basis.'

Neville was looking at her in awe. 'Me...me too. Only, I'm still doing it.'

'Who cares? You're obviously good enough in here to have so much responsibility. Especially with plants like that.' She pointed at the Mandragora. 'What do you want to be when you're older?'

'An herbologist.'

'Right. Well you seem to be mostly there already Neville. Nothing to worry about. Just become the best in your field, you'll get the respect you deserve. Trust me.' She watched as his expression went from awe to something close to hope. I wish I had someone tell me that when I was back in Moreberries. But would I have listened? Probably not, I was probably too fucking drugged to notice that anything else was going on. I was a bit of a lost case really.

'I. Um. You said you wanted some Mandragora? How much?'

'Two leaves. Shoots if that's possible,' Siana said, calming down a little. She had gotten a little over enthused at the prospect of meeting someone else like her. Someone else who seemed to have been as downtrodden as she was. She felt good that she had maybe at least added a little spark of something to his personality. See how can I be evil, when...when something like this happens?

'Two leaves? Okay,' Neville said and then with one hand he held the Mandragora firm, stroking it with a loose little finger, with the other he yanked out two leaves quickly and efficiently. The plant didn't even flinch. He stroked it again affectionately and then placed it in a little dirt pot, placing a lid on top of it. The grass coloured leaves he placed in a paper bag which he sealed with a kind of watery grey goo from a pot nearby.

'What's that?'

'The sap is really poisonous. The diluted Bubotuber pus stops any of the sap or gases from coming out of the bag until you need it. Here.' He handed the bag to her. 'Don't touch the leaves with anything less than dragon hide gloves. Do you need a pair?' he said, looking at the bag as he held it to her. It was evident that he didn't making eye contact. Siana frowned.

'I hadn't thought of that.'

'Well I have, I have another spare pair. My Gran gave them to me, she, uh...was a little excited when I told her that I was being allowed to look after one of the greenhouses.' He turned and walked off behind a strange plant that looked like masses of spider web clinging together, and then came back again with some scaled gloves. He handed the burnt red scales to her also. 'I don't need them right now, I've never damaged the pair that I've got. You know the fumes are poisonous too don't you?'

Siana nodded and Neville nodded too, a look of concentration coming over his face. He seemed to gain a quiet confidence when he was talking or thinking about anything to do with Herbology Siana recognised the confidence, it was the same inner confidence she had with Transfiguration. Beyond Transfiguration she might be useless, despairing, but within Transfiguration she had strengths upon strengths.

'There's nothing else you need to do. If you get poisoning you'll have to go to Madam Pomfrey. She has some antidote there, okay?' Neville said and Siana nodded. From memory, Snape has it too, but he's a bastard at the moment, and I'll be damned before I go to him for anything. She clutched the bag tight in her hands and found herself repressing a small bud of hope that was growing on her gut. After all, now she only had one more ingredient left to acquire. However, she wasn't stupid, the last ingredient would be the hardest.

'Neville, thank you so much. Really. Keep up the good work. I expect to see you in the papers soon!' she said and turned quickly, desperate to get out of the humidity that was soaking her brittle hair and aggravating her leg wound. She heard Neville mumble something behind her along the lines of 'thanks' and she nodded, then closed the door gently behind her.

Now, to Hagrid's hut. Might as well get all the visiting over and done with today, besides, Hagrid, I can ask him about Boggarts. He might know where one is. If he doesn't know, I might ask Moony, he has this uncanny ability at being able to find things like that.

When Hagrid opened the door, he looked around quickly and then his face split with a very broad smile. 'Siana! Yeh've come to visit me!' He closed the door behind her and then immediately took a large kettle from the fireplace. It seemed he had already been making himself a cup of tea. Siana looked around as he made himself busy, and her nostrils instinctively widened. She could smell animals, dog, fox...she was about to see what was specifically in the air by enhancing her scent cells through fox form when she felt a large weight leaning into her leg.

'Oh hello there...' she crooned, grinning, as Fang licked big wet streaks across a part of her leg which had been bared through her robe. She shivered and scratched the crinkly head affectionately. 'You sooky thing. Aren't you a sooky thing? Hey beautiful, hey there...' Her voice was immediately soothing, very sweet. She loved all animals, and had never raised her hand to even kill a spider. Fang the boarhound was practically wriggling from the attention. The hairs on her leg were standing up the wrong way from the force of which he licked them.

'First Professor Snape, and now you,' Hagrid said as he set down a large steaming mug of tea for her, and then took his own to the other side of the large table. 'I've bin' gettin' a lot of visitors of late.'

'Snape?' Siana's eyes narrowed. She couldn't imagine Snape being comfortable in a place like this. It was unruly, it smelt of animals and food, it was homely and warm. Not the sort of place that Siana associated with the Potions Master at all.

'Well it's not like he wanted to see me. He on'y came outta punishment. Yours is your choice.'

'Excuse me? He didn't want to see you? Then why would he be seeing you?' She remembered the direction that he had been walking last night, towards Hogwarts, but from what could easily have been Hagrid's hut. Did it have something to do with the fox?

'Uh, well the thing is...' Hagrid broke off and then sighed. 'I really shouldn' be tellin' yeh this.'

'Please Hagrid.' Her voice was soft, but urgent. Anything that involved the Potions Master she took so personally. She didn't understand why, she wouldn't have cared if it was anyone else.

'He has this fox, right? And he's good with 'er now, but before...he sorta' accidentally left the fox with 'er, um, a Slytherin kid who was a bit violent.'

'WHAT!'

'No. No no. Siana, e's good with 'er now.' Hagrid said, pushing aside his mug of tea and leaning forward, his face marked with sincerity. Siana sighed as she relaxed a little. He's good with her now. Then suddenly a bolt of apprehension shot through her and she sat upright. Fang whimpered.

'Which kid, Hagrid.'

'Now, I shouldn' be sayin.' He looked very uncomfortably now and Siana snapped under the pressure of her own dread.

'Which kid! It was Draco wasn't it? The fucking bastard left a fox in the hands of Draco Malfoy!' She was breathing heavily, her hands clenching in her lap. Hagrid squirmed, he looked nervous.

'Miss Basilica, I-'

'I'll kill him! I'll have his blood for dinner!' she seethed, getting out of control. Her hands went to her wand pocket.

'Siana!' Hagrid shouted suddenly, thumping his fist on the table. Siana jerked, startled, her hands flew up, away. She blinked a few times and then licked her lips.

'Yes Hagrid?'

'Siana, he's good with 'er now. Came ev'ry hour, was angry wi me for...for not lookin after 'er right.' He reclined back, thinking that he had her convinced. How wrong he was.

'Oh. OH. He had the gall to be angry at you? And Dumbledore is letting him keep it!'

'Now Miss Basilica, I trust Dumbledore, 'e made the right decision.' Hagrid's voice was filled with a quiet steel, and for a moment Siana remembered what her Dad had said, about him being part Giant. She shifted her legs under the desk to ease her posture, and winced as the cut on her thigh got caught on her robes. The irritation, the pain, knowing that Draco had done this to her, done something like this to the poor fox that Snape possessed, made her angry all over again.

'I don't believe this. Contrary to popular opinion, Dumbledore is just a man. He's not infallible!'

'I'd like to know what someone like yerself would have done then.'

'Killed him,' Siana muttered darkly and she got the gripped the bag of Mandragora so hard that it made a mushy sound against her fingers.

'E's not a bad person Siana. E's just messed up from his trip to You Know Who. I would be too if it was me.'

'You don't let a messed up person near an animal.'

'No offence, Siana, but yeh don' exactly have a clean slate to yerself do yeh? Yeh've been irrational too, from what I've seen of yeh. How'd you like it if you was banned from animals?' He paused, and Siana swallowed, it was true. How would she have liked it, if she couldn't have seen Athena whilst she was under full effect of the Insidious Potion? Athena kept her as sane as she could ever have hoped to be at the time. 'Animals don' deserve a lot of the crap they get, but they're forgivin'. Most of 'em. They see a persons true natures, an' foxes, they're canny like. If Svelte likes Professor Snape after all this time then it's fer a reason. An' he does love her in his own way, 'e cares. E's a much nicer person when he actually cares about summat other than cauldrons.'

Siana sighed. 'You're too nice. You know that? Much, much too nice. No wonder. Our family used to think it was funny, a half giant at Hogwarts. Like, 'what a crackpot that Dumbledore is...' But my family, we're fools, Hagrid. All of us. Me definitely. You're a lovely person.' She shook her head and then lowered it weakly onto the table, missing Hagrid's flush of red. She choked off a moan of pain as the skin on the back of her neck stretched out and the bruises screamed in soreness. When she raised her hand again, Hagrid was draining the last of his cup.

'Actually I have a quick question to ask you, Hagrid.'

'Fire away,' Hagrid said softly, his dark eyes kind.

'I need, for a project, I need...well. Do you know of any Boggarts around Hogwarts?'

'Boggarts? What do you want to be messin' around with them for? They're 'orrible things those. And no, no I don't sorry, best person ter ask would be Argus Filch, the caretaker. He'd be the one most likely to come across any Boggarts in his day to day cleanings,' Hagrid said softly and Siana nodded. Great. She thought. Filch. Someone with a genial a temper as Severus. Sure.

'Okay. Thanks anyway.'

And now my teeth are sore. I have another thing to add to my many list of misfortunes. Cut on my fucking head, cut on my leg, bruised neck, generally bruised, generally. Now my teeth are sore. Rock cake. Sure Hagrid, I'll have some rock cake. Never again. Never, ever, ever again. Not ever. No way in hell. I'm not ever going to be that stupid again. I think I actually chipped out two of my molars.

Ah hah, you're so funny. Funny...hee. Not. God. What's wrong with you? Artemis would be watching you right now and, I don't know, hunting you with her hounds. You said you were going to be running around in the Forbidden Forest as a fox, and are you? No. Why? Because you're sore, and you have to go back to the royally fucked up Malfoy Estate. And I need to find a Boggart. And...I don't know. Damn being a Basilica, damn everything right now. Damn the fact that my teeth hurt.

Stupid Death Eater meeting, tonight? What if something goes wrong? What if Draco gets me again? What if I -

She froze, she didn't even realise why she froze until the scent came again, stronger. Sandalwood and pepper. Her knees felt weak, she realised that was the scent of Severus. Surprised she looked around and noticed she was in the corridor which her and his quarters were situated. She hadn't realised that she had been walking so fast.

He flung himself out of his rooms and marched down the corridor so quickly that he didn't see Siana until he was almost on top of her. There was a look of urgency about his face. When he stopped, it took him a few seconds to calm down a little. Though he only calmed down enough to glare at Siana and then point at her bag.

'What's your poison?' he said silkily and Siana felt fire kindly immediately. Taunt me. That's exactly what I want right now. To be taunted...I know what you've done. I know exactly what you've done. She was about to open her mouth and retort when his hand shot out, claw like, and gripped her forearm hard. 'May I look?' he whispered softly, seductively, cruelly forcing the arm up so that he could see the bag more closely. Its seal of diluted Bubotuber pus was evident. 'So it is a poison then.'

'Maybe I'm going to sneak it into your highbrow cup of tea this evening,' she whispered sweetly and Severus' eyes narrowed.

'Then it is a good thing that I am going to be indisposed this evening. I'm keeping an eye on you Siana.'

'Did I not clearly tell you to fuck off last night? I don't need all your accusations,' she said, yanking her arm away from his grip. 'I don't need someone like you, pointing out my mistakes.'

'My, my, my. Dirty language again? I must be having quite the effect on you.'

'You hypocrite,' Siana began and then found herself pausing when she saw a tiny fox, a tiny kit of a fox peek out from behind the door which Severus hadn't even remembered to close. It squeaked pitifully and Siana bit her lip. She looked at Snape. Disbelief crossed her features when she saw a look of concern scramble across his face, desperately trying to escape the look of impatience which replaced it next. He turned.

'Svelte, inside please,' he said crisply and the fox remained still. It chirped again, but made no sign of either moving forward, or backwards.

'I'm going to tell you a story,' Siana began, not even realising what she was saying. Severus appeared to be ignoring her so far, his attention fully trained on the baby fox. 'Once upon a time there was a boy named Draco Malfoy, who liked to torture animals.' Severus snapped around back to her, his eyes wide, his face suddenly pale. She continued cruelly.

'Draco Malfoy liked to torture anything, he was part of a biiiig family that liked torture and pain, so it made sense that he was a part of that too. Heritage, or something. And you know? There was this big, ugly, horrible, mean, sarcastic and irrational beast of a man, which had for some reason, managed to acquire the trust of a tiny little creature called Svelte.'

'Siana...' Severus said warningly and Siana smiled at him, there was no emotion in that smile.

'This ugly, mean, irrational man one day lost his temper. He did so very often you see. And he gave the innocent, beautiful, young and na�ve creature to Draco Malfoy, the boy who would torture any animal, given the opportunity. The big, ugly man knew this, and didn't care. He was probably happy. No responsibility. Time to take a break from caring about something alive other than myself...because Hephaestus knows that I don't believe in full time care. So...of course, as we all know, the fox is tortured. There is no rescue for this fox, no one comes to her aid, no one saves her from the torment. No one at all. And do you want to hear the end of this story? The big, ugly, horrible man, gets to keep the fox. Gets to keep it, gets a second chance, so that he can make the same mistake again.'

'Do you want me to tell you a story about the death of my sister and the horrible, nasty girl who was involved with that?' Snape whispered and Siana grinned.

'Go ahead! Only I can save you the bother. I murdered your sister. My hands, my wand...my own magical power. Think about that. I did it.' I'm bullshitting, I don't remember doing it. But hey, let's throw caution to the winds. 'And you know what? The funny thing about that is I don't pretend that there was something right to what I've done. I know I did the wrong thing, and I'm never planning on doing anything like that again! But you! I can't talk for you. What kind of a person are you Severus? How the fuck did you manage to land a teaching position here when you're so damned disturbed?' She took a deep breath and then launched into the tirade which she had been wanting to launch into since meeting with Hagrid.

'Not only the same sadistic attitude as Draco, but a fucking cop out attitude too. Can't do it yourself, so you'll get someone else to. Contracting a torturer does not make you any less of a torturer!'

'Svelte!' Severus said, his voice snapped through the air. The fox crawled back inside and Siana watched, felt as though her heart was breaking.

'You might think you've repented, but what happens the next time you lose your temper? What happens then? Just do it yourself? Get someone else to do it for you? What kind of a person are you?' She withdrew her wand and pointed it at him. 'If you ever, ever, have anything to do with the pain of an animal again, I will personally ki-'

'No,' he bit out, but he wasn't looking at her, he was looking through her. Siana blinked, caught up in her rage.

'No? I bet you didn't give Svelte that option, you bastard. I'll bet-'

'Not now.' It was a begging groan, it pleaded with some unseen force and then before Siana knew what was happening, he collapsed to the floor, convulsing violently. She dropped her wand anxiously and then took a few steps forward, not knowing what she intended to do. It didn't occur to her to go for help, she was mesmerised by the wrenching spasms. When he roared in pain she flinched, winced. Her breathing sped up, she was afraid.

However long she stood there, not knowing what to do, not knowing if she should leave him unprotected, she didn't know, but it seemed like a long time before the convulsions lessened and he curled up like a child against the wall. She could see his shivers in the ends of his robes, causing the fabric to shudder. More minutes passed, long minutes, her breathing and his breathing staccato, mingled together in the still air of the dungeons. Slowly, so slowly, he turned to face her, his face ivory.

'Please leave,' he whispered, his voice broke three times, trailed off into pathetic silence. Siana bent down to pick up her wand and watched him, blinking, frightened. His eyes, blacker than the shadows around the dungeon, watched her desperately and Siana backed off a few steps, automatically pocketing her wand. She wanted to say something soothing, she wanted to damn the hatred like she had what felt like so long ago, and say something to show that she cared.

A wave of bitterness streaked through her. How could she ever hope to salvage some semblance of a friendship, a relationship, of anything? How could she?

'I hope it hurts,' she muttered, then stalked off to her room once more, hiding the tears that prickled at her eyes. The second time in two days I've been in tears. It must be a record. Be proud of yourself Severus, no one does this to me like you do. No one.